ASU Football: Sun Devils overcome sluggish start, down Cougars

(Photo: ASU Athletics)

The No. 13 Arizona State Sun Devils looked anything but the 13th best team in the nation in the first half against Washington State, falling into a 21-7 hole before finally getting things in order en route to five forced turnovers and a dominant 52-31 victory over the visiting Cougars.

On a senior-day celebration that was emotional for many of the team’s veteran players, including quarterback Taylor Kelly, it was several seniors that struggled in the early going and afforded WSU opportunities to get a hot start. The play of Kelly drew boos in Sun Devil Stadium as the offense earned negative yardage on seven of its first 13 plays.

Much of that had to do with a lack of protection from the offensive line, as senior right tackle Tyler Sulka was beat often, although Kelly’s play certainly left much to be desired. On defense, the Sun Devils were plagued by a litany of offsides penalty, including two from senior defensive end Marcus Hardison.

That all changed about 27 minutes into the game, as Kelly found Cameron Smith for a 42-yard touchdown and Hardison followed it with an athletic interception that set up a game-tying touchdown for Frederick Gammage just 41 seconds after Smith’s touchdown.

In the second half it was all ASU, as the Sun Devils offense found rhythm and the Cougars struggled to sustain drives or avoid turnovers. Slowly but surely, the Sun Devils pulled away and earned the decisive victory the team should have been able to secure in the first place.

Player of the game: D.J. Foster

Even when the ASU offense was struggling in the first half, D.J. Foster wasn’t. He consistently grinded out yardage against the Washington State defense and eventually racked up three rushing touchdowns, 96 yards rushing and 59 yards receiving. Prior to Saturday, Foster had been without a rushing touchdown for four straight games and hadn’t had multiple rushing touchdowns since the season opener against Weber State. His performance against the Cougars was a transcendent one in which he put an offense on his back at times and saved the team from punching a one-way ticket to obscurity.

Biggest concern: 60 minutes of solid football

There’s no doubt that the Arizona State offense can score points when it’s hot and the defense has proven it can be a force to be reckoned with, at times. What we haven’t seen is both units put together a strong showing for an entire 60-minute game. Even in a monumental win over Notre Dame that will likely define the 2014 season, the Sun Devils suffered from a severe second-half lull that led to the disappearance of a huge halftime lead. This time around it was a first-half lull that ASU woke up from.

Unsung hero: Cam Smith

It’s hard to argue that the loss of Jaelen Strong didn’t negatively affect the offense, as redshirt freshman Ellis Jefferson could not step into Strong’s role and finished the game without a reception. The ASU offense still managed to put up plenty of yardage through the air though, thanks to Cam Smith who finished with six receptions for 131 yards and two touchdown. The speedy deep threat got behind the Washington State defense on multiple occasions, including a 67-yard reception that set up a touchdown to begin the second half.

Stat of the game: +5 turnover margin

No matter how much you’re struggling, it’s hard to lose a game where you force a ton of turnovers and manage to avoid them altogether offensively. While Kelly struggled in the early going, he kept the ball out of jeopardy while Washington State’s Luke Falk did not. Five turnovers forced by the ASU defense proved to be a big difference maker and the Sun Devils offense did a good job not messing that up.

What’s next?

Regardless of the results of Arizona’s game against Utah and USC’s game against UCLA, the 2014 Territorial Cup will be one of the biggest ever, with plenty of conference standings implications. ASU still has a chance to earn a trip to the Pac-12 Championship Game, but there will be no shortage of motivation from the Wildcats, who aren’t eliminated from conference title contention either. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. MT in Tucson, Ariz. and will be televised on FOX.

You can reach Adam Stites on Twitter @AdamStitesASU or by email arstites@asu.edu

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